More Accessible Screening Can Reduce ACL Injuries in Female Athletes
Female athletes are two to six times more likely to sustain an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury than males, due to a lack of neuromuscular growth spurt males experience during puberty that increases their muscle power. Now, identifying teenage female athletes at greatest risk of an ACL injury could become easier, according to a new study from the Cincinnati Children's Sports Medicine Center.
"We developed simple measures so that pediatricians can take a portable lab into the community when they conduct sports preparticipation physicals. Using a camcorder and portable force plates in a gym, pediatricians can somewhat reproduce the screening results we've documented in our lab," explains Timothy Hewett, PhD, director of the Sports Medicine Biodynamics Center and the study's lead author.
The pediatrician or other professional conducting sports physicals can use a camcorder to observe and record the amount of "knee collapse" as each student drops off a one-foot-high box onto the force plate and immediately jumps as high as possible. Examiners also can assess relative hamstring strength and side-to-side balance.
An imbalance revealed in any of these three tests indicates the athlete may be at greater risk for an ACL injury. Once identified, these young women can undergo targeted neuromuscular training to lessen the likelihood of injury.
Training That Works
For high-risk athletes, a combination of screening and training could help to identify and prevent the estimated 40,000 knee injuries a year in female high school and collegiate athletes. "ACL injuries are greater than a $1 billion problem for the U.S., and a $625 million problem in women's varsity sports alone," Dr. Hewett says. "Most young ladies don't even know that their body positioning is putting them at risk."
Dr. Hewett and his team have developed training to improve strength, coordination and balance and thereby reduce the risk of ACL injury. Training usually occurs two to three times a week in half-hour to hour-long sessions over six to eight weeks. The team from Cincinnati Children's has set up programs for schools and teams across the country and around the world.
Dr. Hewett explains, "Twenty years after their injury and despite surgery, many of these women need medication or knee replacements to control knee pain. That's why the study of how and why females injure the ACL – and how we can prevent those injuries — is so important."
